Trades in Aelyria allow characters to construct useful items or exercise profitable Skills by using materials found in the world and often their own two hands.
Further Reading: A Primer to Skills
Trade Skills are not to be confused with lore, which are reservoirs of knowledge that cannot be progressively advanced.
Further Reading: A Primer to Skills
Abstract
Trade Skills are often profitable, allowing characters to generate a comfortable source of income to bolster them in their adventures. Trade is many and varied, as are the expectations of tradesmen in any given region or city. Some join Factions or guilds according to local law and governance, while others operate independently. Each character will find their experiences with trade vary according to where they learn the skill, where they practice it and the people that help shape the ability both through mentorship and commissions.Types of Trade Skills
- Crafting: Skills that create physical objects such as alchemy, culinary arts, fine arts, glassblowing, jewelcrafting, metalworking and woodcrafting.
- Vocational: Skills that do not quite fit the crafting aspect of trades and focusing on the applications of the skill such as healcraft, dance, music, naturecraft, roguery, sagecraft and theatre.
Trade Skills are not to be confused with lore, which are reservoirs of knowledge that cannot be progressively advanced.
Proficiency
Proficiency refers to a high degree of skill or expertise in a particular area. It means being highly competent and capable of performing tasks effectively and efficiently. For the crafter, it usually means that the crafter is proficient in making a product, though it could be proficiency in applications related to the crafting like appraisal of materials or even sensitivity to metal underground for a blacksmith. For the practitioner, it usually means that the practitioner is proficient in performing tasks and applications of the vocational skill, though it can also be a proficiency in crafting a product that is related to the vocation. Each crafter or practitioner will usually learn or develop one to three proficiencies at each level.Examples of proficiency for crafting:
- Strength Potion (Alchemy) - A strength potion that makes the one who consumes it stronger, but also makes them more dull-witted and physically slower.
- Saltbinding (Culinary Arts) - The chef preserves food using enchanted techniques, allowing it to last for seasons while retaining traces of its original vitality.
- Illusionary Brushstrokes (Fine Arts) - The artist can create illusions within your artwork that shift and change perspective as viewers move.
- Breath of Echo (Glassblowing) - The glassblower crafts glass that captures and echoes magic or emotion, allowing it to reveal memories, amplify enchantments, or unveil hidden truths.
- Soulforge Master (Metalwork) – The blacksmith can bind a soul fragment or arcane essence into an item. Forged artifacts may be semi-sentient, bond to a wielder, or channel a spell once per day.
Examples of proficiency for vocational:
- Emberwheel (Dance) - Dancers can stir heat in the hearts of allies or scorch fear from the battlefield, their movements syncing with the flicker of flame to amplify its power
- Anatomist (Healcraft) - The healer understands the intricacies of muscles, bones, and organs, allowing them to perform more precise procedures, cutting recovery time by half.
- Earthsense (Naturecraft) - The ranger possesses a deep, intuitive bond with the land to predict seasonal shifts, migrations, and impending natural disasters with uncanny accuracy.
- Confidence Artist (Roguery) - Proficiency in this talent will allow the rogue to convince groups of people to believe a scheme with his or her confidence.
- Mask of the Living Story (Theatre) - The actor channels ancient myths through performance, using soul-bound masks to evoke powerful emotional and even magical responses in their audience.
Specializations
All tradesmen have a specialization, whether they are crafters or practitioners. Specializations begin to develop almost from the very beginning, usually dependent upon the sort of training they receive. However, specializations are truly formed starting at the professional level when the tradesman branches out on his own and begins to delve into his own skill and ability. Tradesmen are not limited to learning one specialization, but the addition of others depends on hard work and exploration.Examples of Specializations
- Cat Burglar: A thief that specializes in breaking and entering houses or buildings.
- Lampworker: A glassblower that specializes in using a small lamp to create tiny pieces of glasswork.
- Pastry Chef: A cook that specializes in preparing baked goods, pastries and desserts.
- Weaponsmith: A blacksmith that specializes in creating weaponry.
Skill Tree
As with other Skills, proficiency with a given trade skill can be measured in five levels: Novice, Professional, Artisan, Master and Grandmaster.Learning a New Trade Skill
Most people interested in learning a trade join an established professional to work under and receive his guidance. This professional-novice dynamic is at the heart of the trade community with techniques passed from one to another so that they persist. Some individuals however refuse to enter into this bond, instead choosing to develop and hone their Skills independently.Uninitiated
Uninitiated are those with some skills in the trades but are not acknowledged as proficient in the trade to earn a living yet. Some work as an apprentice to someone of greater skill, such as a professional or an artisan. The uninitiated work is passable with simple pieces or work sellable to the public but a living from uninitiated skills is difficult without the support of someone already established in the field.Novice
A trade person at the novice level is initiated in the trade craft by an experienced trade person. The tradesman that has earned the rank of novice is fully capable of working independent of his mentor and, in some cases, has moved on to establish his own place of business.Professional
Most shop owners and crafters in each city or setting are professional tradesmen. Their work does not stand out as unique or innovative but standard and practical. Some would start to serve as mentors to others.Artisan
Artisans are those whose work is readily identifiable. Their abilities are such that they are known to be creative and distinctive in their choices. It is not unheard of to hear of artisans developing their own unique techniques or even adjusting their materials that they use to the betterment of his craft. It is not uncommon for the Artisan to seek out magical tools, items and materials that can enhance their crafting. Artisans are generally sought after for delicate or complicated commissions.Master
Master trades people are the pioneers of their crafts, individuals that are not afraid to explore new challenges previously believed to be exceedingly difficult or even impossible. Masters will often begin to show promises of a skill that goes well and truly beyond limitation, manipulating themselves or their materials to do strange and unique things. Masters will often work with magical tools, items and materials, seeking to heighten the potential of equipment and materials. Some would seek out environment with special effects or special individuals like spellbreakers or mages to enhance the production or execution of their skills.Grandmaster
Grandmasters of the trade defy reality in their execution, making their endeavors mythical and fantastical in nature. Crafters are capable of flouting physical expectations of their materials to create such things as tattoos that take on lives of their own, capable of holding conversations with the individual upon which they are inked. Performers can so enter a crowd that their dancing transports the audience into the very scene crafted by their body movements. Practitioners such as healers are rumored to be able to heal at a touch or application of pressure. The grandmaster's only limitations are what one’s imagination sets. Grandmasters will have access to magical tools, items and materials, and are able to use the full potential of such. Grandmasters are also able to use the special environment or individuals like mages and spellbreakers (some may even say that this includes the gods) to perform their tasks.
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